Trek
by RhiTheHybrid
Summary: During a journey to a temple that may not exist, Jesse meets an old friend-turned-enemy, and is thrown into a land he doesn't know, along with a body he shouldn't have. With only a single new ally, Jesse must brave the harsh winter and discover the secrets of his newfound power in order to find his friends and sister, and maybe stop a new foe from whatever he may be planning. (AU)
1. Ch 1: Soren

"Jesse…"

A voice echoed in a sea of darkness. Nothing stirred.

"Jesse!"

Just a little more. Just for a little longer.

"Jesse, wake up!"

Jesse woke with a start to the feeling of someone shaking his shoulder, and Petra's voice yelling his name again. His senses came to him, and he suddenly wasn't so comfortable. Who would feel comfortable sleeping on the grass in full armor?

"One second", he murmured, pushing the hand away, pushing himself up to the ground in a sitting position.

He let his eyes adjust to the light for a moment before glancing around. He was in the makeshift shelter he and the other Order members had built to avoid the mobs as the sunset. Olivia was putting out the bonfire by throwing dirt on it, and Lukas was sitting against the wall, writing in his journal. Axel had gotten sick right before they planned on setting out for the temple that Ivor had recently discovered, and Jesse wanted to call off the adventure to let Axel regain his strength, but the greifer had urged them to go and get some treasure, especially for him. And, reluctantly, they set off. What Jesse found weird was that Ivor had left them a note and a map, instead of meeting with the New Order in person.

"You look like you slept well," Petra commented jokingly.

Jesse didn't need a mirror to know that his hair looked like a rat's nest.

"Let's bring sleeping bags next time," Jesse said, standing up and stretching.

"Yeah, definitely." Petra looked over to the other Order members. "We ready?"

"Yeah. I cooked that raw mutton, so we won't have to hunt later." Olivia stood up, wiping the dirt from her gloves.

"This terrain's really weird," Lukas closed his book. "These mountains are so… high. And steep."

"Eh, it makes this place cooler." Jesse shrugged.

"Well, let's get a move on," Olivia said.

"Yeah," Jesse agreed.

The four stepped out of the shelter and into the chilly morning. The tall, steep mountains loomed over them, shading the area. A few flowers were scattered about, giving the area a nice aroma. There were a few lone trees a distance away. Jesse pulled out the map. The temple was east of them, and couldn't be more than a day's walk from where they were. And they had already been traveling for a week, so they were close. They started off.

Minutes turned into hours. And the New Order was still walking. They didn't talk much, and when they did, it was usually small talk. Eventually, the mountains that towered above them turned into steep hills and then rolling hills. A few single trees turned into clusters of trees, and then into a forest. Still, after five hours straight of walking, save for a few breaks, there was still no temple in sight. At this point, everyone was exhausted. So they stopped for a rest.

"We're still not there," Petra sighed, sitting down on the log of a falling tree.

"Maybe we passed it?" Lukas guessed.

"I could've sworn we were just west of it," Jesse was studying the map. He usually wasn't bad with maps. He was pretty sure he was right, but maybe he led the four down a wrong turn. Shielding his eyes, we looked up towards the sun. It was long past noon, and the sun was too the west. They had been going the right way.

"...Maybe it's underground." Jesse stood up. "I'll go look around for it."

Nobody protested. Jesse felt tired himself, but he wasn't ready to let this adventure be for nothing, especially after they spent a week trying to find this temple. Adjusting his armor slightly, Jesse walked away from the group, keeping his eyes open for any sort of building or structure. There was not a single cloud in the sky, allowing every single beam of sunlight to come down from the sky and make the day a lot hotter than it should be. Jesse adjusted his armor uncomfortable. He did love the Redstone Riot, but _man_ , it was horrible in hot weather.

It was quiet in the forest. Aside from the rustling of leaves, there was no sound besides the crunching of dead leaves under Jesse's boots. There was still no sign of the temple, not even any stone. It almost made him uneasy. There wasn't even the faint hissing of a stray creeper that had survived past the night. Just silence. As he walked, Jesse no longer felt like he was walking through a peaceful forest, but an off-limits area. Something about the whole atmosphere felt off. He drew his enchanted sword, coloring the area around him with a faint pale. Still, nothing around him stirred. Jesse kept walking. He climbed over a log in his path. It had looked like it had been knocked down recently, not like it had been chopped, but more like broken with brute force. Still, he kept going. He found nothing even hinting that there was a temple for what felt like forever.

Jesse stopped dead in his tracks as he heard a snap behind him. He turned sharply around. He didn't see a figure, mob, or even an animal. Just nothing. Still, Jesse felt the hair on his neck stand on end. He had the urge to run, get away from whatever was chasing him, but he didn't move. It was probably just himself stepping on a twig, he told himself. Still, he turned around and nearly screamed out.

In front of him was… _something_. He had no idea what it was, but it was _huge_. It towered over him by what had to be at least four feet. It had the sun behind it, so he couldn't make out what it looked like. And it wasn't even like he had time to anyways. Out of pure instinct, Jesse yelled out and threw a punch at it. The thing dodged nimbly, and his glove barely grazed its dark cloth. A leg, or what he thought was a leg, came out from under its robe-like cloth and swept his feet, and Jesse didn't have any to react. He was knocked to the ground in an instant. He hit out a sharp yelp, and he raised his hand to strike with his sword- only to realize it wasn't in his hand, but stuck in a bush a few meters away from him. He felt his heartbeat quicken as he turned his gaze up to the creature.

It didn't move an inch. He tried to get up, but the thing only pushed down on the teen harder. Jesse yelled out for someone, Petra, Olivia, _anyone_ to help him. There was a silence only broken by Jesse's own heartbeat. He saw something come up behind the thing. It was blue, and gleaming brightly- It was his sword. And it was… floating? Jesse froze up, his fingers digging into the dirt below him. The sword floated in front of the thing, illuminating its face. Instead of an actual face, however, it was a mask- a plain mask, only with round holes like eyes. The flat end of the sword was brought down on Jesse's face. He felt pain for a split second before everything went dark.

Jesse's senses returned to feel the cold.

He let out a groan, putting a hand to his throbbing head. He opened his eyes. He saw a ceiling, stone grey, with a hole in the center, allowing light to come into wherever he was. Jesse sat up, nearly losing his balance from the aching of his head. He looked around. He was in a circular hole and had to be at least fifty feet in diameter. It was straight down, no slopes, just vertical stone wall.

Jesse jumped to his feet, looking around. Where the heck was he!? He walked over to one of the walls. It was completely smooth, and there was no way he could climb up. There were crystals sticking out from a ways up, but there was no way he could reach those. There wasn't any place to get up in the rest of the hole either.

There was no way to escape.

Jesse went back to the middle. He didn't understand. What _was_ that thing he encountered? Was it a person? Where was he? And _since when could his sword float_? He tried to call out for help. He hated having to need help- He wanted to show people that he was strong and could do things for himself- But he _really_ needed help now. But he was only met with an echo of his own voice.

Until he heard somebody else's voice.

"Hello, _Jesse_."

Jesse turned.

At the top of the hole, on the very edge, was a figure. Behind them was the same creature that had pinned him in the forest. The person had ginger, curly hair, with an untrimmed beard. He wore a sort of tunic-like armor that had several pockets and sacks, most likely for carrying supplies. His grey eyes stared down at Jesse, glazed over with tiredness and hatred.

He recognized the man.

"S-Soren!?" Jesse stuttered.

"So you remember my name," The ginger frowned, starting to walk along the edge of the hole. "I was afraid that you would forget while engrossed in your… popularity."

Something about Soren just seemed off. Jesse knew that his intuition wasn't always accurate, but something about Soren's face made his instincts scream "danger."

"Where am I?" Jesse asked. "Why am I down here? Why are _you_ here?"

"You are going to be apart of a large cause, Jesse. You'll play a very important role." Soren stopped and put his arms behind his back. "And you will be lucky to be right with me once my plans spread worldwide."

"...What do you mean?" Jesse took a step back.

"You're going to be right by me as I set my plans into action. Don't you want _me_ to be your master and not somebody far lower in rank and intelligence?"

"W-what are you saying? You're not making any sense." Jesse could feel his heartbeat quicken once again.

"I'm going to make you better, Jesse. Stronger faster, smarter, and best of all, you're going to be _my_ pet." Soren grinned, which only made Jesse's hair stand on end. He reached for his sword. Of course, it wasn't there. That _thing_ took it. He looked up at the creature. It was standing unmoving next to Soren. It wasn't like he would have been able to use it anyways.

"I have wasted enough time talking that a thing that is supposed to be my pet." Soren turned to the creature. "Gabe, will you begin the process for me?"

...Gabe?

Within a moment, the crystals lining the walls of the hole lit up, covering the whole room with a pale silver light.

"W-wait!" Jesse stuttered. "W-what are you-"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence before he felt pain. In his chest, it started as a faint aching, but very quickly grew to feeling like he had been shot in the heart with a poison arrow. Jesse screamed out in pain, clutching his chest, staggering back a few feet.

"Yes," He heard Soren's voice, edged with a toxic joy. " _Change._ "

Jesse couldn't respond to it. He felt the pain spread across his body, especially to his arms and face. He collapsed, writhing on the floor. He was dying. He was slowly dying. He took one last look up at Soren. His face turned from having a terrifying grin to his eyes widening and his jaws dropping. Jesse had to look back down as he coughed up something, which splattered onto the stone floor. It was black, like thick ink. He felt the pain worsen horribly before he heard a deafening boom, followed by a flash of light.

Everything turned to black.


	2. Ch 2: Monster

Jesse woke up to pain.

He couldn't feel anything but the pain. His head was pounding, his whole body stung, and he couldn't feel his arms. He tried to open his eyes. He was met with white, so bright that he had to close his eyes again. Was he somewhere else again…? Jesse tried to sit up, but he felt a sharp pain in his spine immediately. He fell back, shuddering. He curled up on the ground. He felt horrible. He lay there for what felt like forever. He waited for all of the pain to subdue, if it would at all. But what surprised him most was that he was still alive. The pain before he lost consciousness was so horrible that he was sure he was dying. At the very least, the pounding in Jesse's head stopped eventually.

He opened his eyes again. He saw a grey open sky, the clouds that blanketed over the land darkened, threatening to rain at any moment. _That's weird_ , Jesse thought. Wasn't he just in a building…? Jesse tried to sit up again. It was incredibly difficult, with his back still aching and not having arms.

Wait.

Where are his arms!?

Jesse couldn't feel them. He tried to bring them up to his face, but he saw nothing. Panic rushed through him. What happened to his arms? Did Soren rip them off? What… Happened? Jesse could feel his heart race. His arms were gone. That's why they were hurting so much. They were being torn off. He wouldn't be able to do _anything_ now. He felt his throat contract, blinking back tears, and he failed to suppress a shudder. He mentally scolded himself. He shouldn't be crying about it. He could get through it. He could-

Jesse shifted his gaze to the rest of his body, and he felt as if his heart skipped a beat.

He was no longer wearing his armor. Instead, it was replaced with cloth in the same colors. And his legs. They didn't even look like legs anymore. They were long, dark and skinny, and didn't even have any feet. He tried to let out a scream, but nothing came out. Jesse tried to stand, but the "legs" caused him to stumble a few feet, trying his best to keep his balance, only to collapse on the ground. His eyes moved to a mirror a short distance away, broken off of its stand and on the ground. He moved towards it, slowly, trying to keep his balance, even though he was on his "knees". As soon as he was hunched over the shattered surface, he looked down.

He wasn't met with his own face. Replacing it was a mask, similar to the creature that Soren had, only the "eyes" were squinted, making it look impossible to see through. On top of his head were ears, or what looked like ears, made of cloth the same color as his hair. His body was tall and slender, and, of course, without arms. His whole body was covered in cloth- not dark like the other creature's, but had the same colors as his armor, the Redstone Riot. There was no way anybody would be able to recognize him.

He wasn't human anymore.

He was a monster.

Jesse felt tears threaten to escape his eyes again, and this time he couldn't hold them back. He choked out a soundless sob, scrambling away from the mirror. He was a monster. Soren had turned him into something. He wouldn't be able to function as a person anymore. Jesse sat there, staring at the ground, watching the tears hit the floor and eventually freeze. He saw some snowflakes drift slowly to the ground in front of him, and he looked up. It was snowing. The roof of wherever this place was had collapsed, allowing snow to come in and cover the ruins as it pleased.

What Soren had said scared him. What "cause" was he planning? Why had he been set on getting Jesse? Was he jealous? And who the heck was Gabe!? Jesse shivered a little, remembering the ginger's words before he became… this. Soren had wanted Jesse as a _pet_. A slave. Shuddering slightly, he glanced around. Soren and "Gabe" were nowhere in sight. They probably ran from the explosion, Jesse thought. But they could come back and catch him. And torture him. And-

Jesse shook his head, trying to subside the thoughts. He still needed to get out of here. Somehow. Cautiously, Jesse got from a sitting position into a kneeling position. He could feel his legs shake. Slowly, he ascended to a standing position. Jesse stumbled slightly, but he managed to stay upright. He looked around, and only now did he realize how tall he was. A crystal that was in the hole, though cracked and ruined, was still intact. It was larger than him when he was human, but now he was easily bigger than it.

Jesse took a step forward. He felt as if he was about to fall again, but he kept his balance. He took a few more steps forward, and soon he was walking, albeit slowly. He heard something drag behind him, and, muscles tensing, he turned sharply. Still there was nothing there but him. Jesse looked down. It was a drape of fabric, cream colored, fading into red with light blue embodiment. It looked like a scarf- a very long, large scarf. Jesse let out a small sigh. It was coming from _him_. He turned again and started to walk again, faster. He turned past chunks of the building, now blanketed with newly fallen snow, weathered, torn down walls that looked like they had been there for centuries, and old pillars, half- buried in the snow. As soon as he got past the outskirts of the remnants of the building, he was met with tall spruce trees, their needles white with frost and snow. Jesse was now in a forest.

He glanced around. There was no sign of anybody in sight, let alone a sign that there was civilization here. It was as if he was the only pers- _living thing_ left in the world. Still, Jesse continued to walk. Still, even as minutes seemed to turn into hours, Jesse still wasn't cold. Sure, his feet, or what were supposed to be his feet, were cold from the snow, but he still wasn't freezing. It almost felt surreal to Jesse.

His surroundings slowly got darker and darker as it drew closer to night. Jesse knew that he had to find some sort of shelter soon. He couldn't make one himself, because…

Jesse cut off his own thought. He glanced around quickly before continuing to walk. After a few moments, something dark caught his eye. He ran over to it, nearly tripping in the snow. He stopped, standing above it. A cave- Just what he needed. It was hidden partially with ferns, so that nobody, not even a monster, would be able to see it unless they were very close.

Jesse carefully stepped into the cave. It was shallow, so that no monster would be able to spawn inside of it. The floor was icy, and Jesse slipped and fell within a few steps. It would have to do. If he looked for another shelter now, it would be too dark _if_ he found one and mobs would be spawning.

Jesse scooted to the very back of the cave and curled up there. Fortunately there were no sharp rocks or edges. He breathed out, closing his eyes. He sat there, breathing semi-heavily. Hopefully he wouldn't freeze in his sleep.

If he got up in the morning. The first thing he would do is find his friends. He needed to get to them, and, if he could, he had to warn them of what Soren was planning. Whatever Soren was up to, it couldn't be good.


	3. Ch 3: Walk or Die

Jesse quickly learned that being alone was…. Lonely.

Being without friends felt like being without a fire in a harsh winter to Jesse. Cold and desolate. And he didn't know how to make the feeling go away. Whenever Jesse didn't think about his friends, he was just left there, standing alone in the now. But when he did think about his friends, it made his heart ache. So he was just left there, without friends or family, or the familiarity of his surroundings, or even the relief that he was still… him.

Jesse was traveling. He didn't know what else to do but walk. He didn't know where he was. As far as he knew, he could be a thousand miles away from his home. He might never see his friends again. But still he walked. He grew used to the frigid air surrounding him, and the cold he felt as he fell asleep in a cave or bush every knight, doing his best to shelter from the snow. Every morning, when he woke up, he could pretend he was awakening around his still-sleeping friends.. He could pretend that his sister was next to him, waiting patiently for him to wake up, and he could pretend that Axel had left the fire untended and let it go out during his watch shift. He could pretend for a second that everything was back to normal, and that it was all just his imagination. But every morning, he could remember that it wasn't the same, and that he was a monster, completely alone, struggling to survive in the wilderness.

And no matter how much he tried to push the feelings away, he couldn't stop himself from nearly crying himself to sleep every single night.

Loneliness was one thing, though. Survival was another.

Jesse found it incredibly hard to keep up the energy to keep walking. It was very difficult for him to eat- Luckily he still had a mouth, so he still actually could. But it was behind the mask on his face, which made it difficult to eat. Not only that, but he couldn't hunt at all because he was left armless, so he was stuck digging for any crop he could find or trying to find a way to get an apple off the tree. He barely ate because of it- Whatever little he could eat, he ate as if it were his last meal- because it very well could have been if he froze to death or ran into a mob. Even under all of the cloth, he could tell that he was growing thin. But still, Jesse pressed on.

Days turned into weeks. With each passing day, Jesse could feel a little hope inside him die away. But no. He couldn't just stop. Either he found his friends, or he died trying. But still, it was tempting to just lay down and wait for death to take him away. No longer how much he pondered either option, he pressed on.

He had seen other people- or just seen people- one time. They were a trio of travelers, dressed in heavy fur coats so that they would not freeze in the cold. Incredibly weary after hours upon hours of walking at that point, Jesse tried to approach them. He didn't think about how they would react seeing a massive cloth creature. When he stepped into their view, they all froze. He tried to approach them. Their reactions would have been the same as Jesse's if a monster like the one he was confronted _him_. They screamed. Jesse flinched, backing up a few steps.

"Monster! Kill it!" One of them had yelled.

That was what made Jesse realize what he was doing. But it was too late. One of the travelers, eyes wide with fear, strung an arrow with a large bow, and within an instant, shot it into Jesse's side. He would have screamed for them to stop, if he could make a sound. He backed up from them, trying to at least show he wasn't going to attack. But another one of the travelers took out a sword.

"It's going to attack! Kill it before it kills us!"

Jesse didn't need to hear any more. He turned and ran, as fast as he could, back into the underbrush of the forest. He saw for a split second something fly dangerously close to his head and lodge itself into a tree. An arrow. Still, Jesse ran, every step making the screaming voices grow fainter and fainter until they were completely out of earshot, let alone in the same area.

Jesse didn't try to look for anybody after that. That encounter only reminded him that he was completely alone now.

Still, Jesse pressed on. Even as he felt the blood leaking from the arrow wound freeze, even as the arrow wound got more painful by the day, even when he knew he wouldn't make it. He still pressed on, with only one motivation: finding his friends. Jesse didn't want to die without seeing their faces again, knowing their warmth again, hearing their voices again. He didn't ant to die at all. He knew it was inevitable, but he always told himself, _just make it to your friends, then your journey can be over_.

But one day, Jesse felt all of the hope inside of him drain away.

He had woken up slowly, feeling the usual aching of his legs. He thought that they would just go numb as he walked again, but then he tried to sit up, he couldn't move. As if something had sucked all of the energy out of him. And he felt freezing cold. He had always felt the cold, but this time he felt as if the cold was coming from _him._ Jesse tried to sit up again, but he felt something rise in his throat. He jerked his head forward as he broke into a coughing fit, his throat burning horribly afterward. As he laid back against the ground under the snow-covered bush, he knew what was wrong.

He had gotten sick.

Jesse let go all hope of ever seeing his friends again then. He couldn't overcome a sickness with no food or medicine, let alone in the harsh winter of a forest. As he laid there in the underbrush, occasionally coughing, he tried to keep himself warm the best he could. The cloth growing from him helped slightly, but it still wasn't much. So he laid there, trembling, hoping that maybe he could last for another day.

Jesse didn't know how long he was there, because his head hurt too much to keep track after two days. With each passing day, he found it harder and harder to breathe, and he could feel himself get hungrier by the hour. But there was nothing he could do then. He was going to die alone there, in the freezing cold, as a freakish monster that nobody could ever love. Jesse failed to hold back the tears escaping his eyes, and he didn't even attempt to hold back his silent sobs. This was it. He was dying. Jesse lost count of the seconds he laid there still, and he slowly drifted off into unconsciousness.

Jesse woke up the next day.

Jesse shivered, curling himself into a tight ball, coughing a few times. How was he not dead? How was he alive? He sat up without difficulty, besides feeling the fatigue one might expect from a cold. How did he survive? But Jesse threw aside confusion in favor for relief that he was still alive. After some rest, he stood and started to walk again.

He still was not going to give up.

Day after day passed. Jesse lost track of the date completely eventually, and could only guess with the days slowly but steadily getting longer. But still, Jesse forces himself to keep walking. Only because he had two choices: walk or die.


	4. Ch 4: Trapped

**Credit goes to my good friend WSubwoofer for helping me with the beginning, if it wasn't for her this probably would have never been finished-**

Days. Days it felt like, the last time Jesse slept. It had been far too cold to stay still for long, let alone to sleep for eight hours minimum. His eyes grew heavier with every hour, and the world started to spin around him each time he took a step. The weight of the cloth he was cloaked in began to feel heavy and cold around him, and the humidity of the frigid spruce forest didn't help either. But he always kept reminding himself, _Walk or die. Walk, or he wouldn't get to see any of his friends again. Walk, or the leader of the Order of the Stone will never be seen again._

A raw breeze swept through the forest onto Jesse's face, making him shiver. It felt like years ago when he walked out of that temple for the first time, not feeling the cold at all. Now, he felt like a living glacier. The deep red of his cloth was now blanketed over completely with snow and frozen blood from days prior. He shook some snow dropped from branches over him from his head, feeling his ears go numb from being exposed to such frigid temperatures for so long. He sniffed and paused his walking to cough violently a few times. He knew he probably should have waited until his sickness had been gone completely, but he would most likely freeze to death if he stopped now.

Jesse started to walk again. His legs were stiff with fatigue and the cold, but he had to keep moving. He needed to find his friends. He needed to get home. He needed to-

Jesse tripped abruptly upon feeling a sharp pain in his leg as something clamped down on it. He let out a silent scream, trying to scramble up and run away from whatever was attacking him. But he only landed face-first into the snow, the pain becoming worse with every tug. As soon as Jesse realized the pain was only coming from one part of his leg, he froze. He turned his body to face his attacker, and he gasped. Clamped around his leg was metal teeth, bloodstained and covered in snow. The teeth were digging deep into Jesse's lower leg. He yanked on his leg once again, and he felt a sharp pain spread across it. He felt as if his heart had skipped a beat. He had been caught in a trap.

Jesse desperately tried to get his leg free, but there was no way he would be able to without arms. Then, it dawned on him. This was it. This was the end of his journey. He would either freeze to death there or be killed by whoever's trap this was, and even if he did manage to get himself free, he wouldn't be able to walk. Jesse sat there, shivering from the cold, occasionally tugging on his leg once to make sure he couldn't get free, only to have pain shoot up his entire limb. He sighed, looking down at the red stained snow. Why couldn't have he been more careful? There had to be a town near here. And they could find him. And attack him, torture him, or kill him. Jesse shuddered, just at the thought of it. There was nothing he could do now. He couldn't escape.

Every second felt like an hour, and Jesse could only stay there, feeling his leg turn numb. The blood leaking from his new injury caked his leg and had begun to freeze, and it held so cold that it felt like it was burning. Jesse kept himself from crying, he had already cried enough on this "adventure". He wasn't supposed to cry. He wasn't supposed to be weak. He was supposed to be strong. The leader everybody needed him to be.

But if he was supposed to be strong, why was he going to die from a mob trap?

Jesse let out a silent whimper, shifting his position, flinching at the pain from his trapped leg. He fought to keep his eyes open. Tiredness began to flood over him again, and he internally panicked. He couldn't fall asleep now. He'd die. Even though he was going to die anyway. He didn't want to die unknowingly in his sleep. Jesse kept his neck straight, fighting his own body to keep his eyes opened.

Eventually, time started to seem like a blur. Jesse thought about his friends, Beacontown, his sister, everybody he knew. He wanted to see them again so badly. But it dawned on Jesse that he wouldn't easily be able to find them if he didn't even know where he was. And he couldn't find them at all now.

Jesse's train of thought was broken by the sound of snow crunching underfoot. He let out a gasp, glancing around. Someone was coming towards him! Jesse tried to stand, but he collapsed again, face going into the red snow, feeling pain in his leg again after it had gone numb. The footsteps paused for a moment but started again more slowly. Jesse was panicking now, acting only by instinct now. He needed to get away. They were going to kill him. He yanked on his trapped leg, only for it to rake the skin on his leg, causing it to bleed again. And the pain only got worse. Jesse bit his tongue. There was no way he could escape from the person. His death had come. Jesse shivered, burying his face into the scarf that was on his neck. He didn't want to look when the person stabbed him.

Jesse flinched when he heard a yelp, but confusion flooded over him when he realized it sounded like a child's. He looked up.

It was indeed a child, looking to be no older than twelve, his skin dark, his dark hair littered white with fallen snow. He wore thick-rimmed glasses over dark eyes, one of them swollen and bruised, and wore a coat too large for him. Over his shoulder was a large bag.

The two stared at each other for a second, neither of them moving. But Jesse flinched as soon as the child whimpered and reached into his bag, starting to pull out a stone sword that looked too heavy for him. The kid held it close, backing away from Jesse, his eyes wide with fear. Jesse could sympathize with the kid- a huge, torn monster in front of him? But at the same time, Jesse could feel fear and grief flood his thoughts. This kid was going to scream at the sight of him and run away, tell an adult, which would come and kill him. But the kid only remained frozen, his sword in hand, staring at Jesse.

"W-what..? What are… Where…?" The kid stuttered. He was panting audibly, his eyes darting around, before landing on Jesse again.

His eyes moved down from Jesse's face to his leg, and he let out a small gasp. Jesse shifted with discomfort as the kid lowered his sword, keeping his eyes on the bloodied trap. He looked back up at Jesse, the look in his eyes turning from fearful to sympathetic.

"Y-you're… You're stuck." He bit his lip.

The child took a step towards him which made Jesse try to back up, only to bring pain to himself. The kid backed up again, hesitating for a few moments. Before starting towards him again. Jesse remained frozen as the child approached him, and after standing over him for a moment to make sure he wouldn't attack, knelt down at the trap. The child studied to for a second, before digging his gloved hands in between the metal teeth where Jesse's leg was and attempted to pry them apart. It released pressure on Jesse's leg, but the kid wasn't able to pull the trap apart far enough that Jesse would be able to get free.

Slowly allowing the teeth to close again, the kid sighed. He stood there for a moment, sucking his finger where the teeth had cut his hand, staring at the trap once again. Then, his eyes widened for a moment. He picked up the stone sword again, hands trembling with its weight, and he slowly stuck it in between the trap's teeth, nearly cutting Jesse in the process. Jesse shifted uncomfortably, watching as the kid pushed on the sword, slowly prying the teeth apart. Jesse yanked his leg free as soon as the trap was open enough, dragging it away as the kid let go of the sword, the trap teeth digging into its blade as it fell onto the side.

Jesse tried to stand once again, but fell from the pain in his leg. Jesse looked at the wound once again, and gasped as he saw that the dark skin had been so torn up that the bone was showing.

"A-are… you okay…?"

Jesse looked up at the kid. He was backed away slightly, but still not showing any extreme fear or aggression. Jesse became confused. Why wasn't this kid scared of him? Why did he help him? Jesse glanced at their surroundings, there was no mob, person or animal in sight besides them. He once again attempted to stand. He stood there, leg screaming to have the weight taken off of it before Jesse fell back against a tree.

"Here, l-let me help." The child pulled a large clean rag out of his bag, and, taking Jesse's leg, wrapped it around the wound the best he could. Jesse resisted the urge to pull his leg away. After the kid finished, he pulled his langs away, and Jesse drew back. The blood was starting to leak through the white cloth, but it was better than it being exposed and frozen in the snow.

"W-what... are you?"

Jesse tilted his head. He couldn't tell the kid what he was. Even if he could talk, he wouldn't be able to tell him the answer, because he didn't know himself. Jesse stood up, keeping his weight off of his injured leg. Although it still burned like the Nether, Jesse would have to push himself hard enough to make it home. He knew he couldn't stay here any longer. The kid had a family. Friends. A home. And Jesse needed to find his own friends, family and home. He started to limp away, only to stumble.

"H-hey, wait! Please don't leave." Jesse turned to face the kid as he spoke. "Y-you're hurt."

Jesse stared at him. After a moment, he brought up, "I-I can show you a cave you can stay in! Until you get better! D-do you wanna see?"

Jesse thought for a moment. Even though he wanted to deny it, he was exhausted, injured, and worn. Letting out a small sigh, Jesse nodded.

The child's face lit up as if he had been presented with a gift. "O-okay! Follow me!"

Jesse, who would have usually been several strides in front of anybody while traveling, even with short legs as a human, he found it difficult to keep up with this energetic child. With the combination of his tiredness and his injured leg, the fastest he could go was a sluggish limp. The kid stopped and waited every time he lagged behind, and when they seemed to be drawing closer, the kid had had to support Jesse.

After what seemed like an eternity to Jesse, the child guided him through thick underbrush that tangled around his ankles and low-hanging branches which scratched at his face, he was met with something he didn't feel for a long time- Warm air. He glanced around. They were now in a cave, a shallow one, but there was a miniature pool of lava in the back, sealed off by a tall metal fence. It warmed the entire cave, and it felt comfortable to Jesse, even making him drowsy.

The kid helped Jesse lay against a smooth part of the wall.

"I-I'll be back, okay? I-I'll bring food." The child said.

Jesse gave him a weak nod, curling up against the stone wall. He didn't care about anything else at the moment, only the comfort of the warmth he felt for the first time in what felt like lifetimes. He heard the footsteps of the child leaving the cave before Jesse drifted off to sleep.


	5. Ch 5: Healing

Jesse did not expect for the child to be there to check on him the next day.

He had brought with him some bandages, water, a comforter, and an entire bag of food. He had shaken Jesse awake, which startled him into thinking that another person or mob had found him, but mentally scolded himself when he nearly kicked the child square in the stomach. Jesse was extremely grateful for the kid's kindness, but he didn't know why he was doing this. What had he done for him? Why would he help some monster he found dying in the snow? But, Jesse put his thoughts aside to inhale the bread that the kid had shown him. It had been the first time he had eaten something homemade in what felt like forever. Not moldy apples from a leafless tree or frozen carrots he was lucky to find in the snow. Something warm, something an actual person would eat.

After his leg had been bandaged and before the child had left, he started to talk to Jesse- it was more like him rambling. It wasn't like Jesse could interfere, so he only listened. The kid talked about at home with his mother, but he never mentioned a father. He mentioned once about his mother being about to hit him, which made Jesse jolt up immediately. The child tried to reassure him by telling him that his mother didn't hit him all the time, which only made Jesse worry more. Sure, he didn't know this kid, but his mother doing that to him? Jesse shuddered. It reminded him of his own parents.

After the kid left, Jesse was alone again. It didn't feel good, but now he had made contact with a person who wasn't afraid of him. It wasn't Petra or Jess, but it felt good to be around another person again. Jesse fell asleep that night on cloth instead of the hard stone floor.

The kid came back the next day. And the next day. And the next. With every day, the kid would come back to tend to Jesse's healing wound, along with giving him food. It was baffling to Jesse, strangely. He appreciated the company, because otherwise he would be left alone injured in a cave, but he just didn't understand why this kid just kept coming back. But it was nice to hear the kid talk… Even if it wasn't about good things. Jesse learned that the kid's name, or at least nickname, was Radar. One day, Radar had walked into the cave with a bruise on his face, a bad one. It looked painful, a sickly yellow and purple that made Radar whimper whenever it brushed against the collar of his coat or when he touched it. He confessed that his mother had hit him for leaving the house for the fifth time this week. It made Jesse feel immediately bad. This kid caring for him was causing him to get hurt.

"I-it's okay. It's just a bruise." Radar gave Jesse a small smile when he saw his ears go down. "I'm… really glad I-I have you to talk to. None of the other sixth graders really care…"

There was an awkward pause.

"U-uh- thanks for listening." the kid reached a hand out, patting Jesse on the head.

Jesse flinched for a split second, but relaxed himself. He told himself that to Radar, he was a silent creature that as far as the kid knew, could be like a large wolf. And he didn't want to scare him. The kid gave Jesse a smile before standing up.

"I-I gotta get home, don't wanna make mom mad. I-I'll see you tomorrow!"

With that, Radar was gone.

Jesse was kept awake that night by his thoughts. This kid was being hit by his own parent. He didn't know what happened between them before, but his mother hitting him? That was bad. He just hoped Radar would be okay.

Over the next few days, Radar's visits were shorter and less frequent, with less food. Jesse didn't complain about it, as his leg was steadily healing, and no longer needed bandages, though for now he could only walk in a limp. But Radar's absence gave Jesse time to think. Where he could actually try to go- Because the terrain was not familiar at all. In Beacontown, he knew almost every city that was on the map, and he knew the terrain well. But the land he had been traveling over the past weeks were not familiar at all. He didn't even see a single temple or structure once. He was completely lost.

But soon enough, Jesse's questions went from where he was to what he could do.

Jesse had been completely bored that day- Radar had visited briefly to drop food off, but was away quickly. It was snowing hard outside, so he couldn't go out into the surrounding woods. So he was stuck. Radar had left a bowl behind for water, and Jesse had been staring at it, studying the carvings in the wood. There was not much else he could actually do. Without arms, he couldn't actually manipulate the world around him. He felt his surroundings melt away as he fell into a trance-like focus. But his focus broke as soon as he saw the bowl move. It floated up from the ground. Jesse jumped back in surprise, letting out an instinctual hiss. The bowl dropped to the ground immediately. Jesse stared at it for a moment. The bowl was levitating. Floating off of the ground. By itself.

Jesse's mind went back to the day he had been attacked by that creature, vaguely remembering something having to do with levitating. The dark creature had held him down as his own sword had floated by itself and knocked him out cold. Something clicked inside of Jesse's head then. The creature had been levitating the sword itself. It was using some kind of… Telekinesis. Psychokinesis? Telepathy?

Whatever it was called, "Gabe" had been levitating the sword at will.

And with that, the entire day had been spent by Jesse trying to replicate Gabe's manipulation of objects, and it worked- somewhat. Actually getting the object to move was difficult enough, and the most he could do was rotate the object ninety degrees before getting a headache. After the thirteenth try, Jesse gave up on the levitating and fell back against the old comforter, sleep taking hold of him almost immediately.

A full day later, Jesse was shook awake by Radar again.

At first Jesse saw only darkness, but was blinded by a white light. After his eyes adjusted, he realized it was only Radar, who was holding a flashlight.

"H-hi!" he greeted. "Sorry for waking you. H-heh, my mom kinda grounded me, but I snuck out."

Jesse sat up. Why was Radar going to these lengths, against his mother, to visit a monster he's never seen before?

"S-so…"

Radar glanced down at Jesse's leg. The bandages were long gone as they were not needed anymore, and all that was left of the wound was a scar that went all the way around Jesse's leg. Jesse couldn't help but let out a small sigh. At least it was fully healed now, even though he had been delayed by that trap.

"Y-you know, I don't really know your name… Well, if you have one. D-do you have a name?"

Jesse gave the kid a quick nod.

"Wha-" Radar paused. "Right… You can't talk."

Jesse thought for a moment. How could he tell Radar his name without talking?

Soon, Jesse's eyes went to the small wooden bowl, upside down and up against the wall. Levitation. He stood up, which caused Radar to jump back.

"W-woah, where are you going!?"

Jesse walked, without pain, to the mouth of cave, turning to Radar and motioning him to follow. The kid stood up quickly, grabbing his flashlight and following him.

The air out was frigid, but not as cold as the night before when he had been walking before being caught in the trap. Few snowflakes fell from the sky, adding little to the already ankle-deep snow on the ground. Spruce trees stood towering over the two, unmoving, their dark branches contesting from the sky, littered with thousands of stars, along with a full moon that shed silver light on the quiet landscape.

The silence was only broken by the rustling of the snow as Radar marched through as best as he could, though it was all the way to his knees. Jesse looked over at the kid, and then at his own feet. He realized he was walking on top of the snow- leaving only faint footprints behind. It felt as if he was walking on air. He still walked, and stopped only when he came across a small clearing with new, untouched snow blanketing the ground- perfect.

"Why are we out here…?" Radar was panting, trying to step through the snow a few feet behind Jesse.

As soon as the kid was close enough, Jesse glanced around the clearing. When he though he may have had to go out and get a branch, his eyes fell upon a small, dead pine tree partially hidden by the living branches of the taller evergreens. Jesse focused his sight on the largest, twigless branch of the tree. He needed to levitate it. He needed to move it. A moment passed, and then two, then three.

"Is that tree really interesting…?" Radar questioned.

The child's voice broke his train of thought, which followed with a headache. He let out a short hiss, shaking his head. He needed to keep trying. He looked back at the tree, trying to make himself focus. Levitate the branch. Levitate the branch. Just make it move. It couldn't be this hard. Just move the darn branch.

What broke Jesse's concentration this time was the branch breaking off and flying straight towards his face. He didn't have enough time to react, and it slammed right into his head, barreling him over, pain spreading across the side of his face. He let out a soundless yelp as he sank into the snow, the world spinning around him for a brief moment.

He heard fast-paced stumbling, and soon enough, he saw Radar's face over his own. "H-hey, are you okay!? I-I saw that stick and then-" he paused, biting his lip. "Y...Your mask is cracked." He touched Jesse's forehead, making minor pain spread across his forehead. But he didn't flinch.

Jesse sat up, making Radar fall back. The pain on his head soon dwindled to an ache, which was a lot faster than he would have thought it would stop throbbing. He got up, feeling the kid slide off of him, and stepped out if the small hole his graceful fall made. He looked over the the branch, lying harmlessly in the snow a few feet away. Jesse's ears flattened. He'd show the branch who was boss.

He concentrated his mind on the branch once again. Just pretend he had arms and that he was picking it up. It couldn't be that difficult, right? Suddenly, the branch trembled momentarily and lifted off of the ground, slowly but surely. Jesse's own surprise and relief made him drop it, but he picked it back up again, and moved it towards him. He looked down at it and then back at the portion of the snowy ground still undisturbed. Now to write.

It took almost all of Jesse's concentration and focus to just write his own name. And to think that using a small stick on newly fallen snow would have been difficult. With each minute, Jesse found it harder and harder to hold onto the stick, but he wasn't going to give up. Radar deserved to know his name. As soon as he wrote the final "E" at the end, he felt his focus break, letting the stick call to the ground.

The writing itself almost looked like complete chicken scratch. It was just barely legible, spelling his first name- though it looked like it could have been anything.

"J… Jeh…" Radar kept his eyes locked on the writing. Jesse was surprised that the kid didn't even question him using with a giant cloth creature being the thing you nursed back to health, anything could be possible.

"Jeh….Sss… Jeh-see…? Jesse? Is that your name?"

Radar looked up at him. Jesse nodded.

"Jesse... Wow. Heh… That's a really nice name." the child smiled up at him.

After clearing evidence of his presence at the clearing, Jesse glanced down at his leg. It was fully healed now; the only remnant of the wound was a scar, but even now, it was starting to fade. Jesse knew that it should have taken a lot longer to heal fully, but he was only relieved that he it was no longer painful.

"You're… better now." Radar looked over. "That means… you can leave."

He could leave.

It only now hit Jesse. Be was finally able to continue traveling. He could leave Radar behind. ...With his mother. His abusive mother. And he couldn't just abduct the kid and take him with him.

"So… you're gonna leave now…?" Radar questioned, shifting his weight.

Hesitantly, Jesse nodded.

"Oh." The kid looked away for a second. "I… I understand. Well… I-I'm glad I met you… Jesse."

Suddenly, Radar pulled Jesse, or more accurately Jesse's leg, into a hug.

"Just… S-stay safe, okay?" He wiped a small year from his eye.

Jesse gave him a nod. Not wanting to bear with a crying child and the guilt of being about to leave the child alone, he turned to run.

Jesse only went a few feet before stopping dead in his tracks by Radar's yelling.

"O-oh no, Oh notch! It's sunrise!"

He looked around frantically, then back at Jesse.

"I-I can't stay here, bye!"

With that, the kid ran into the underbrush, half stumbling breaking branches as he went.

Jesse didn't wait to think about why he was in a hurry. Now that he was up and walking, he was not going to let Radar walk in the woods all alone. He turned, running after the child.

He felt weightless, running across the snow, barely leaving a footprint. As trees whizzed past him, it didn't take long at all to catch up with Radar. The child was trudging through the snow quickly, trying to climb over it as fast as possible, only resulting in him stumbling. Jesse slowed to a stop right behind him, and Radar turned.

"L-look, I'm really sorry. J-just go, you can walk again, I need to get home right now!"

Jesse tilted his head slightly. Radar didn't bother to tell off Jesse anymore, continuing to try run through the snow at an amazing speed of a couple feet per second. Jesse followed the chil, walking slowly over the snow, watching as he struggled. After a few minutes, Radar saighed, stopping.

"I-I'm never gonna get home in time…"

Jesse stared at Radar for a second. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He leaned down, grabbing Radar's coat hood in between his teeth.

"Woah, hey! What are you-" Radar protested as Jesse stood upright. "P-put me down!"

Jesse started to walk.

"P-please?"

Jesse started to speed up into a jog, his feet never sinking into the snow. After a moment, Radar stopped protesting as Jesse broke into a "slow" run.

"T-turn left!" Radar managed to yell out from being muffled in his coat collar.

Jesse swerved, jumping a log effortlessly, the trees speeding past him in a blur that he didn't have time to focus on. He could feel the adrenaline pump through his veins. He didn't feel this way ever since he had been running through biomes with his friends, in search of adventure. These past weeks, it had only been exhaustion, hopelessness, and having no set destination. Now, he could actually know where to go, even if it was directions, but it felt as if color had been returned to his monotone world. It felt great.

Jesse continued to obey directions from Radar, sliding down ledges, jumping fallen trees, and running across a river, frozen in place completely. The pink light of the sun seeped over the trees little by little, lighting the once-dark landscape, giving the snow a bright gleam.

After a few minutes, Radar said, "Okay, stop please. We're almost there."

Jesse stopped, letting Radar down.

"U-uhh… Th-thanks." The child looked down at the ground for a moment, an murmured, "I wouldn't have gotten here fast enough without you."

Jesse gave him a nod. He was going to turn to leave before he learned the sound of footprints in the snow, and they definitely weren't Radar's. He turned again. The kid was frozen in place, looking around frantically.

"Radar!? Where are you, you worthless brat!?"

"O-oh no," Radar squeaked.

Jesse didn't have time to react, before he heard the rustling of branches and a figure coming out from the underbrush. It was a woman, looking to be in her forties, her hair dark, heavy clothes looking luxurious yet dirty and a scowl across her face. She glared around, before her eyes laid on Jesse. He flinched, backing up a few feet. She let out a gasp, looking down at Radar.

The kid squeaked. "I-I can explain, mom!"

The woman didn't listen, she reached in her bag, pulling out a small knife, eyes wide with fear.

"Radar, what the nether have you done!?"


	6. Ch 6: Eight Weeks

Eight weeks.

Eight weeks since Jess had seen her brother.

Eight weeks since Jesse had made fun of her.

Eight weeks since he played another one of his dumb pranks.

Eight weeks since she was woken up at midnight by him just to watch one of those shows he likes.

Eight weeks since she had to deal with him.

And she missed him so much.

Jess stared up at the ceiling of her and Jesse's room, unmoving. She moved her eyes to the empty bed. She let out a sigh. She had recovered from the flu long before, days after Jesse, Petra, Lukas, and Olivia left. It would have been inconvenient to try to find them, so she waited. Actually looking forward to seeing Jesse, her twin, again.

But only three of the four came back.

Jesse was gone.

Petra and Lukas tried to convince her that they had done everything in their power to look for him. But she didn't listen. Jess wanted to look for her brother herself, miles upon miles away from Beacontown. She had even tried sneaking out once. But her friends wouldn't allow it. They told her it was hopeless.

Jess snapped. She said things she shouldn't have said. She even accused them of letting Jesse die.

Jesse… Dead.

Jess denied the mere concept of it.

Jesse couldn't be dead…

...Right…?

She let out a shaky sigh, sitting up. She needed something, anything, to distract herself. Jess stood up, shaking her sleeping legs awake. Pulling on a hoodie over her dark tank top, she slowly walked out of her soom, into an empty hall.

Thankfully, everyone else should have been asleep at this time. Jess walked silently down the hallway, listening for any disturbances beside her own, and made it to the order's living room. Jess sat on the couch, silently, turning on the TV and turning the volume low. She flipped through channels, before stopping at a show that Jesse used to drag Jess out of bed to watch… " _One Punch Man"_ or whatever it was called.

As Jess watched, her mind drifted away from the screen. Jesse was gone. He really was gone. She could never see him again… Jess shook her head. She couldn't just accept it. Jesse could be fighting for his life right now, to get back home. He had to be alive. He had to be-

The sound of footsteps creaked from the stairs. Jess froze in place for just a moment, before scrambling for the remote. She could have sworn it was right next to her.

"Jess?"

She froze at the sound of Petra's voice. She knew Jess was here. She gave up on trying to hide her presence, and sank back against the couch, letting out a groan as Petra took a seat beside her.

"You doing okay?" The redhead asked.

"I'm just watching a show." Jess muttered.

Petra looked at the screen as a character pulled out a sword at something huge, quickly yelling something in another language.

"Isn't this one of the shows Jesse watched?"

"Yeah." Jess glanced around for the remote again.

"I never understood why Jesse liked these. They're so… weird." Petra stretched back against the couch.

"Okay, but why are you down here?"

"I went out for some midnight sword practice."

There was a moment of silence as both women paid attention to the TV. There was a moment of silence broken only by the show between them for some time.

Finally, Jess spoke up. "Petra?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm… I'm really sorry about what I said earlier. I knew I shouldn't have said it… And I did anyway."

Jess looked down at the floor, wiping back tears. "I'm really sorry."

She flinched at the feel of Petra's hand on her shoulder.

"It's fine. I… Know how it feels to lose someone really close to you. I knew you and Jesse since we were kids, you know."

"I know," Jess sniffed.

Petra paused for a moment. "Look, if Jesse's alive out there, he _will_ try to come back. He's a fighter.. ...And I should say sorry too. If I went with Jesse to scout the area, things would've been different."

"It wasn't your fault." Jesse murmured. "Maybe if I didn't get sick, then-"

"Slow down." Petra said. "It wasn't your fault either, okay?"

Jess paused for a moment, and looked up at Petra, wiping tears away from her face. "Okay."

There was yet another period of quietness. Both women kept their eyes on the TV, watching as several characters were defeated by a villain before the main character took them out effortlessly with a single punch.

"What season is this?" Petra asked after a while.

"It's just season one. We didn't get ahold of season 2 yet." Jess answered.

"Huh." Petra muttered before asking, "Hey, we've been thinking of doing something fun tomorrow. Like… Maybe going out to eat or going to that hiking trail. Do you wanna come?"

"I like hiking."

"Okay. Lukas wanted to hike too, and I think Axel and Olivia will like it. It's been a while since we went on a non-adventure trip."

"Yeah."

"We should probably get to bed, though." Petra checked the clock under the TV.

"But I want to see what happens next." Jess kept her eyes on the screen as she picked up the remote to select the next episode.

"Okay then. One more episode?"

"One more episode."

* * *

"Demon!" The woman hissed at Jesse.

Jesse flinched at the word. He knew that he shouldn't be surprised. He knew that he looked like some otherworldly monster. But he didn't need to be reminded. He took a few steps back as she stepped forward, brandishing her knife.

"W-wait, mom, wait!" Radar put his hands up. "Don't hurt him, please! He's friendly!"

"You _summoned_ a _demon_!" She pointed the knife at the kid. Jesse let out a hiss at the woman.

"He's not a monster!" Radar protested.

Before Radar or Jesse had any time to react, the lady grabbed Radar by the wrist, shoving to the ground, holding him at knife point.

"You traitor! Sinful, dirty traitor!"

Radar cried out, attempting to shove his mother off of him. Jesse was frozen in place, only able to watch in horror as the woman (more like _psychopath_ , in Jesse's opinion) held Radar down, her knife scarily close to his neck, shouting a variety of curses at him. The child was crying now, struggling to break free, only for his own mother to hit him, making him recoil.

Jesse needed to take action.

Without thinking, Jesse lunged at the lady, kicking her off of Radar. She hit a nearby tree back-first, letting out a shrill yelp as she fell into the snow. Jesse was breathing heavily now, legs trembling, ears flattened. He glanced at the child. Radar was curled into a ball on thr ground, sobbing quietly. He shifted his attention back to Radar's mother as she struggled to get up.

"Y-you…"

She picked up her knife.

"You _freak_!"

In that instant, she hurled the knife, as if she's done it a thousand times, straight towards Jesse. It burrowed itself within Jesse's torso before he could even move. He staggered back, letting out a loud hiss. He fell back, confusion flooding his mind and pain flooding his body. He just got stabbed. He just got stabbed. _He just got freaking stabbed_.

"JESSE!" Radar screamed out.

Jesse was breathing heavily as his knees began to feel weak. He could only stare at the woman as her frown turned into a sadistic smirk.

"Die, you horrendous beast." She murmured, watching as Jesse's breathing became irregular.

Confusion was gone from Jesse's mind now, replaced with different emotions. Fear. Helplessness. But stronger than all of them, rage. Without thinking anything of it, Jesse focused on the knife embedded into his torso, effortlessly pulling it out with nothing but his mind. Glaring back up at the woman, he turned it, and thrust it right back at the woman.

It didn't hit her, but it was pretty close to making its home straight in her eye. It cut through the dark of the spruce tree merely inches from her face. The woman stood there, frozen solid, as Jesse collapsed to his knees. He looked up at her, letting out a sharp hiss.

Finally, the woman took the warning. Without hesitation, she turned, running away from him as fast as she could. Jesse watched as she disappeared into the woods before turning to Radar, trudging over to him as he sat up.

"She…. She's gone." Radar sniffed.

Jesse knelt down next to the child, feeling sympathy for him. He wanted to tell him everything was going to be okay, and that he was safe. If only he were able to speak.

Without warning, Radar pulled Jesse into a hug, letting out loud sobs as he trembled. Jesse took it. A minute passed, and then another. Then another. Soon enough, Radar's sobs subsided, but he still clinged onto Jesse's bloodied cloth.

"I… I don't have anywhere to go," The child murmured.

Jesse couldn't think of a solution. Just taking the child would be, well, _child abduction_. But then again, since Radar "summoned a demon", there had to be no way that his mom would accept him now. Especially since she held him at knife point. Jesse's ears flattened just at there mere thought of what could have happened if he didn't intervene.

Finally, the child let go, staring at his hands.

"Th.. Thank you, so much." He murmured. Jesse gave Radar a nod before standing up.

Radar stood up as well. After a moment of silence, Radar looked up at him.

"Is… Is this goodbye, then?"

Jesse started to walk away. He walked for a few feet, before looking back at Radar. He motioned for the child to follow. At first, Radar was confused, but his face lit up.

"W-wait, I can come with you!?"

Jesse gave him a nod.

"Thank you! Oh notch, thank you thank you thank you!"

Radar ran to Jesse, giving him a tight hug. Letting go, he asked:

"So we're going right now?"

Jesse nodded again.

"O-okay! Wow!"

Jesse started to walk again.

Eventually, a few spruce trees passing turned into dozens. Jesse had to stop to let Radar catch up numerous times to let him catch up. By what had to be the seventh time, Jesse had an idea. Without warning, he picked up Radar, putting him on his shoulders (or where her shoulder were supposed to be), letting his scarf be used as support for the child.

"H-huh?" Radar yelped as he was sat in place.

But Radar didn't protest as Jesse started to walk again, this time carrying Radar.

Finally, he was continuing his journey back home.


	7. Ch 7: Adventure

The first days that Radar spent with Jesse on the journey were like being relieved of a heavy burden.

Of course, it was cold. Freezing, even. But Jesse was always with him, providing him warmth. They did not have much food either, but Radar could manage with what little they found on the road. It wasn't like he had much better at home, anyways. But what Radar was most dumbfounded by was the vast landscape that always stretched around them. Radar had never left his village- He didn't go very far, at least. The warm cave where Radar had left Jesse was the farthest he ever went. But the plains, the mountains, and the forest, they were so different from home. Everything was so diverse in appearance, and even though there was snow everywhere they went, nothing looked the same. Just wandering aimlessly across the world.

But wandering aimlessly was the problem.

Jesse didn't know where he was going. And Radar knew it. Radar didn't know exactly what Jesse was, or where he was going, but he could tell that Jesse had somewhere to go- But he didn't know where that place was. Radar had once asked him about it, which wasn't too smart, because like always, the only answer he got was silence. Radar started to wonder if he could make any sounds at all- As the most sound he had ever made were the occasional hisses. But he knew that Jesse was an intelligent… creature. Almost human-like intelligence. Heck, he could understand what Radar was saying!

But with aimless wandering, it posed a problem. Jesse mostly went in one direction, west, Radar knew, because he always headed where the sun fell, and he had been changing courses a few times. Effortlessly jumping over ravines Traveling through forests. But for some reason always heading west. Radar just followed along. He wanted to see where Jesse had to go. Maybe he had a home, and he was trying to go there. But, you never knew with Jesse. Radar had never seen anything like him before.

One day, the two had ran into a group of strays. Radar heard about tales of strays, how they would steal anyone away who went outside in the snow- It was what kept every kid in the village (excluding Radar) from going out into the woods. But Radar had never seen a single monster in the woods. But when he saw these strays, he almost regretted leaving upon seeing them. They were deformed, skeletal, eyes dead with choppy motions, and they drew their arrows when they heard Jesse snap a twig.

Jesse sat Radar down, a good distance away from the threat. Facing the monsters, ears flattened against his cloth head, he crouched.

No movement.

Then, the strays fired.

Jesse charged at a blinding speed, so fast that Radar was not able to process what was happening as the arrows fell harmlessly to the ground, having missed their target by seconds. Suddenly, the a stray was kicked so hard that it was knocked into another monster, and before Radar or the monsters knew it, Jesse was beating all of the monsters to the ground. Fast and withy force, but somehow graceful at the same time. Moments past, and thrown up snow disappeared. The clothed creature was standing in the middle of many scattered bones bodies on the ground.

Radar felt a little safer with Jesse after that event.

Day after day passed. It was a loose routine. Wake up. Travel. Rest. Eat. Travel more. Watch Jesse kill monsters sometimes. Go to bed. Wake up again, rinse and repeat. Yet, somehow, Radar didn't grow tired of it. He couldn't believe it, but traveling through the harsh winter into territory unfamiliar to him, with only a mysterious creature at his side was… exciting. Stressful and painful sometimes, yes, but it sparked the thrill of adventure inside of Radar that he always wanted to feel. And it felt great. Especially when Jesse ran. Sat on top of his shoulders, Radar could really feel the speed of the creature as he sped effortlessly across feilds of snow, never slowing, almost flying as his feet barely touched the ground. Radar thought it was scary at first, but he learned to enjoy the wind in his face, and the feeling of going faster than any horse could.

And it all felt great.

One night, after at least eight hours of traveling, Jesse slowed to a walk on the forest. Radar, riding on top of him, looked down as Jesse glanced around the area as he stepped lightly over the snow. Radar knew what he was looking for. It took a few minutes, but after walking more, Jesse turned and ran over to the opening of a cave. Radar could tell that it was more like a hole than an actual cave, but it would work.

Sliding down into the cave, Jesse lifted Radar off his shoulders with his mind and set him down on the ground (Radar didn't know how Jesse did that, but he thought it was pretty cool). Taking several feeble sticks out of his bag, Radar struck them with a flint and stone, and soon enough, the walls of the cave were illuminated with the fire. Letting out a sigh, Radar sat beside Jesse against the wall. Neither moved for a few moments, before Radar glanced up at the creature.

Jesse was slouching slightly, looking for the first time in forever relaxed, staring at the fire as its light gave his already bright red cloth a warm glow. He didn't' move. Radar leaned against him, feeling exhaustion seep into his muscles.

"Jesse?" Radar murmured. He could feel the creature's gaze on him instantly.

"I-I… want to thank you for bringing me." he continued. "It… it really means a lot to me."

Radar heard a low rumble, similar to a purr, from Jesse.

"And… No matter where you go, I wanna stay with you." Radar looked up at the creature.

Although he never gave any facial expressions, Radar could tell Jesse was happy through his body language alone. Radar yawned, nestling further into Jesse's cloth. He felt the weight of his scarf on him soon after. Radar didn't fight the sleep taking over him.

"G… Goodnight, Jesse." Radar muttered before his world faded to black.

The next days that Radar and Jesse spent travelling were happy. Sunlight giving the snow a glow, even causing it to melt in some places. No mobs, not even shortages of food, only adventure.

But Radar wished, even after it was over, that he knew of the horrors that were soon to come over the horizon.


	8. Ch 8: You Could Have Died

That day started like any other day.

To Jesse's surprise, it had gotten a little warmer out, to the point where he actually started to feel hot. Radar had gotten exhausted long before, now resting atop Jesse's shoulders as he trudged through wet snow. They were in ice plains. The featureless landscape stretched on to what looked like forever. Jesse breathed in as he fixed his posture. He didn't like walking through plains, they were out in the open, and although that meant nobody could sneak up on him, it also meant that he could be seen easily. His red cloth contrasted against the snowy landscape like the moon contrasted against the night sky. What if there were travelers here? Jesse shuddered at the thought. He was struggling to pull his legs out of the heavy snow now. The contrast between his freezing feet and his head throbbing from heat made him feel sick.

Fixing his scarf, Jesse stopped and glanced at his surroundings. The only interesting thing he saw were mountains in the far distance to the south of him- Maybe he could go there. Looking around once more, he spotted a tree, atop a hill in the distance. His ears perked up. He could rest there. Trying to pick up speed, he managed to get on top of the snow to run up the hill. He could feel Radar grip onto his cloth as he ran. He nearly slipped when the hill got steeper, but he managed to get to the top without much trouble.

And the moment he did, he flopped down against the tree, earning a yelp from Radar. He took a deep breath, leaning his head back to look at the sky as Radar slid down and sat against him. Eventually, little by little, the fever-like heat leaked out of Jesse's cloth. He closed his eyes. He rarely rested midday. But when he did, it was often when he felt like he was going to actually pass out. Even then, he didn't rest for very long. But he felt comfortable, despite being partly buried in the wet snow, weakened from the beating sun. He didn't know how long he laid there, but he didn't really care. It felt nice.

Eventually, the pull of sleep started to take over Jesse. Every time he was about to close his eyes, he jerked himself awake, but despite his efforts, he began to nod off. He should keep going. But it felt good resting here. But he needed to find his friends.

…

...Maybe they could wait a day.

Jesse's mind slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

But the bliss of sleep didn't last for long.

"Jesse! J-Jesse, wake up! Please!"

He snapped awake, feeling Radar yanking on his cloth. He jerked to a sitting position, shaking his head to fight off the last of the sleepiness that lingered. He yawned momentarily before glancing at Radar. The child was wide-eyed, as if he had seen a ghost. Jesse tilted his head slightly.

"J-Jesse!" Radar gasped. He jumped to his feet, brushing the snow off of his pants. He pointed frantically down the hill. "Look! Hurry!"

Jesse stood up quickly, looking down the hill where Radar was pointing. He froze in place immediately upon seeing a dark figure, tall, unmoving. Squinting his eyes, he studied what little detail he could make out. It was in a cloak, with come sort of markings. And a mask. Cloth. Mask. A tall figure. ...Just like him. It was something like him. Jesse's ears fluctuated between being perked and flattened. Should he be relieved or concerned!? It wasn't Gabe, Soren's "pet." There was nobody else there. Maybe it was like him. Lost. Confused. Despera- Just lost and confused. Cautiously nudging Radar behind him, Jesse descended the hill.

As he inched closer and closer, the creature didn't move. At least at first. When Jesse was about halfway down the hill, it turned to him. Its half-closed eyes' gaze piercing, dark fur lining its mask ruffled, the ears on its head flattened. Jesse paused until it raised its ears again, going down further. Jesse paused as it took a step forward, locking eyes with Jesse.

It spoke.

" _Skaxis kan SkaxisviwryrxCzaoza Czaozar?"_

Jesse froze in place. For one, it spoke. _It spoke._ Can _he_ speak!? Whenever he tried, no sound came out. But, he had no idea what the thing said. It asked again.

" _Ginmotxibue ue. Skaxis kan SkaxisviwryrxCzaoza Czaozar?"_

Radar tugged on Jesse's scarf, his voice low.

"J-Jesse, I think we should go."

" _Zetirxys omizetirxys viwryrx-SkaxisviwryrxCzaozaue?"_

The creature's voice was suddenly sharp, with an edge to it that made even Jesse flinch. If Jesse himself was taken aback, then poor Radar was worse. He squeaked, backing away, trying to get back up the hill. But the creature spotted him, and suddenly got into a sort of fighting position.

" _Zetirxysue! Xib!"_

Jesse didn't have much time to react. He leapt in front of Radar, letting out a protective hiss as the creature hissed back. Something in front of its mask formed, a ball of light. Jesse's ears flattened, knowing immediately that whatever it was was bad news. But he didn't have the time to dodge. The ball shot towards him in a bright beam of light. He ducked just in time for it to barely hit one of his ears, which was engulfed in a burning pain immediately. Jesse hissed, cowering back. The creature ended its blow, its gaze showing clear animosity. Jesse turned to see where the thing's beam hit, gasping when he saw that it cut right through the snow, leaving a bare area void of snow or ice, drilling a hole several feet into the hill. Just one beam would have tore him apart. Turning back, his ears flattened. This thing was more advanced than him. He couldn't fight it. He could barely levitate things. He can't fight it. He can't fight it. _He can't fight it._

But Radar was here.

He had to.

Sinking his teeth into Radar's coat, Jesse picked him up and jumped out of the way just in time to avoid one of the thing's beams of death. As the creature was readying yet another attack, Jesse took the chance to fly up the hill, setting Radar down behind the tree.

"W-Wait!" The child protested. "Don't fight it, y-you''ll die!"

Jesse's ears flattened slightly. But he gave Radar one nudge before turning, sliding down the hill before the creature could make it's way up.

Jesse was prepared this time for the beam. Dodging nimbly, he barely touched the ground before the creature tried to chase Jesse with the beam, forcing him to run. Just as soon as the beam ended, Jesse charged, preparing to sweep it off it's feet.

Jesse was fast. But it was faster.

It jumped, trying to counter with a kick of its own, but Jesse moved out of the way just in time. It fired another beam.

Jesse was caught off guard. He got hit square in the chest. A searing pain took over his body completely, and he felt himself go flying before crashing into the snow, sun spots forming in his eyes.

Jesse was still in a daze when the creature walked up to him. It glared down at him, readying a smaller beam. But Jesse rolled out of the way just in time. Feeling the heat of the small explosion, he struggled to his feet as quickly as he could. His muscles still burned from the blow. He turned to the thing.

He was met with the creature readying yet another one of its attacks. Jesse jumped back a good ten feet away, his ears flattened against his head.

He waited.

It fired.

Jesse acted purely out of instinct. He focused on the beam itself, it slowed to a stop completely. Before the thing could stop, he worked to turn it around completely, so it was now facing the creature.

He let go.

The beam hit the Ukuma square in the face. It went flying, skidding against the snow before coming to a stop. Jesse could see it's mask cracked horribly, spiderwebbed as if it were glass. It got up.

Jesse waited.

But, to his surprise, it only gave him a sharp hiss. Turning, it started to run away, cape flying in the cold wind. It disappeared over the hills.

Jesse sank to his knees as he could hear and feel Radar's footsteps coming down the hill. Shortly after, he felt Radar pull him into a hug.

"Why would you do that!?" Radar looked as if he were on the verge of tears. "You could have died."

Jesse flattened his ears. He didn't think of what would've happened if one of those beams kill him. Radar would have been in the wilderness alone. He might've been able to sneak past it and run. He sighed.

"That… That thing looked just like you." Radar murmured, pulling away and standing. Jesse stood as well, his legs trembling.

"So… did you know who that was…?" Radar asked.

Jesse tilted his head before shaking it. Radar thought for a moment.

"Have… you seen anyone else like you before that?"

Jesse thought again. He didn't think Gabe counted, so he shook his head no again.

"Oh." Radar looked down for a second. "Uh… W-we might wanna get out of here before another one like that comes back."

Jesse nodded. Lifting Radar and placing him upon his shoulders, he looked around. He _could_ go south. It might break his west chain because he was _sure_ he was far east when he was with his friends in… summer. Why was it snowing here again? Snapping himself from the thoughts, he started to walk, feeling the burn give him pain with each step he could.

That creature was like him. Did that mean… Soren was making more of them? How did Soren even survive that apparent explosion back at that tower? Jesse flattened his ears. Those things were hostile, even to other… creatures like him. He narrowed his eyes.

What was Soren planning?


	9. Ch 9: You're Human Too

The heat of that day didn't last for long.

A blizzard hit a few days later. It had taken Jesse and Radar completely off-guard, and they couldn't even find shelter as the cliffs of the mountains they had arrived at didn't have any caves in it. The combination of having no arms and therefore making it hard to balance and the fact that he had no visible feet made it almost impossible for Jesse to walk along the cliff paths that ran along the precipices. His burn wounds were not healed either. Radar had bandaged them (it was very uncomfortable for Jesse as Radar had to get under his cloak to tend to the wounds), and he didn't think they would heal at this rate, even with his apparent power to not die at degrees below zero. The constant fear of dropping Radar into the bottomless pit that the ledges of the mountains loomed over lingered in the back of his mind. But, for the most part, he kept himself focused on just getting to the other side of this mountain.

Jesse knew Radar noticed that he was afraid. And though he hated others seeing him in a moment of weakness, he didn't have enough energy to care at the moment. Occasionally Radar would mutter something encouraging to Jesse in an attempt to keep his spirits up, at the same time clinging desperately to his hood as he passed over narrow ledges. It worked, a little, but most of it was just Jesse trying not to let Radar die.

His vision was obscured almost completely by the wall of falling snow, which only made his job even more difficult. Maybe he really should have kept heading east. But, at least no creatures would be here to kill him, right? But it didn't help Jesse much in terms of motivation. Snow relentlessly rained down on the two. Soon, Jesse's cloaked looked completely white with the amount of snow that clung to it, and Jesse couldn't imagine what poor Radar felt right now. The heat from the day when they were attacked was completely gone, replaced with bitter cold once again.

He could have sworn his heart stopped when he nearly slipped near the end of the cliff, but fought to keep his balance. He managed to get to a wider part of the bluff, which turned to a slope, and soon a plain, slowly going downhill. Jesse was relieved. He had gotten to the other side of the mountain. Now it was all downhill from here. Hopefully.

Simply walking across the plain seemed to be just as difficult as wobbling across the cliffs, though. His muscles burned from the injuries and exhaustion. He eventually started to feel light-headed with overworking his body, but he kept pushing himself. Radar noticing this and getting off to walk himself helped slightly, but not by much.

"C'mon Jesse, you can do it. There h-has to be shelter somewhere." Radar murmured, his teeth chattering, but Jesse could barely hear it.

Little by little, any form of energy leaked out from Jesse's. But he kept trudging through the snow. It got to the point where Jesse could no longer stay on top of it, as he sunk down to above his ankles. But he kept pushing himself. He needed to. For Radar. For his friends. For himself.

Time wore on. Nothing changed. No miraculous shelter. No travelers in sight. There was nothing in sight. There was nothing to be seen ahead but the raging snowstorm. Jesse could feel his feet go numb and his legs burn horribly. But he kept going.

The whole experience was surreal. He had never even thought of the possibility of dying from the cold. But he guessed it might have happened. Jesse didn't want to die to the numbness of hypothermia. He didn't want to die at all. But it was a possibility. It was likely that it was going to happen. He was gonna- No. He couldn't die. He needed to find his friends.

...Were his friends looking for him?

Did they just assume he was dead? Did they even _care!?_ Did Lukas miss collaborating with him on books? Did Petra miss sparring with him? Did Axel miss pulling pranks on him? Did Jess, his _sister_ , actually enjoy him not being around!?

Jesse's ears flattened. No. He couldn't think like that. His friends cared about him.

...Right?

Not even the frigid cold could make his gut feel as numb as that single thought did.

What was the point of trying to get home anyways? What was the point of making it through this blizzard?

He kept walking. But he didn't know why.

He didn't need to keep walking. He didn't need to try. His friends could have helped him when he got attacked. But they _didn't._ They stayed behind because they were too lazy. ...No. It was his fault. Was it his fault? He walked off on his own. So it _was_ his fault.

His friends didn't deserve somebody as bad as him. And he didn't deserve having friends. Why did Radar come with him? Jesse had just doomed him. This was all his fault. His friends' hatred for him was justified. He shouldn't be trying to come back.

Jesse felt himself fall into the snow with a loud _thump_. He heard Radar let out a scream. But it didn't matter to Jesse. He should just die here. It would have been useless to keep walking anyways. All of his energy was completely gone. He could hear Radar's panicked cries and him calling his name.

"Get up! P-please, we need to keep going! Jesse! Y… Y-you'll die! _Jesse!_ "

He could feel Radar yank on his cloak in an attempt to get him up. Jesse didn't respond. Radar didn't need him.

He could start the lull of sleep start to pull him. He didn't fight back. He could see a memory, vivid as if it were yesterday yet so distant appear in his mind as the world fell down around him.

 _It was a warm spring day. The sweet scent of flowers hung in the air as Jess walked out of the Order hall, dragging Jesse along with her._

" _Jess," Jesse whined. "It's too early for this!"_

" _You stay up too late." Jess retorted. "And sunshine is good for you. You haven't been outside in a few days."_

 _The two walked through town, albeit not on the main roads to avoid too many people flocking around them. It still happened anyways though, and Jesse was overwhelmed immediately with people asking where he's been in the past several weeks. Jess managed to drag him out of town before anybody could ask him something too personal, however. After getting the "ok" from the gate guards, Jesse followed Jess as they got off of the main road onto a smaller dirt one, going into the forest. The road narrowed, roots poking out of the well-trampled dirt, and eventually became a trail wide enough only for two people to be able to walk side by side. Jesse rolled his hoodie sleeves up, unfamiliar with the warmth of the outside._

" _You just wanted to go on this trail?" Jesse shot a glance at his sister._

" _Yeah," Jess answered. "You haven't really been in the best mood lately, so I thought it would be nice."_

 _Jesse stayed silent. He had been on this trail plenty of times before. It ran far into the wilderness and eventually went in a loop, so it wasn't infinite. A small river ran alongside it, the same river the twins had often played in when they were younger. The entire trail was lined with memories from the past._

 _As the two walked, Jesse didn't bother to talk to Jess, as he was too occupied with his thoughts. He didn't realize how long he had been closed off from the world by himself. He didn't think it would bother anybody. But he guessed he let everybody down… Again._

 _They took twists and turns, winding past the old, grown trees and untended wildflowers that hung over the dirt path. Eventually, the trees started to diminish, making way for taller grass, and the trail below them turned smooth. The siblings soon found themselves in a grass field. Jess ran up a gentle hill, leaving her brother in the dust as he struggled to run fast enough to keep her in his sight._

 _Jesse found Jess on a familiar bench at the top of the hill, sitting as if she had been waiting for a million years. He panted, sitting beside her._

" _You should really take that dark hoodie off," Jess commented._

 _Jesse didn't reply as he grumbled, pulling the heavy article off and tying it around his waist by the sleeves. The two sat there for a few minutes, saying nothing to each other. As Jess looked up at the sky, Jesse looked down at the ground awkwardly._

" _Jess…?" Jesse started._

" _Hm?" His sister looked back at him. He shifted uncomfortably._

" _Am…" He hesitated. "What do other people say about me?"_

" _The NOOTS or Beacontown?"_

" _I told you not to-" Jesse groaned at Jess' pronounciation of their team's abbreviation. "I-I mean, just people in general. I don't know."_

" _I mean, people've been worried about you lately." Jess answered. "I mean, I figured out your routine. Wake up at 1 pm, steal any junk food we got the morning prior, lock yourself in your room, use the bathroom sometimes, rinse and repeat. I don't think you've slept." She poked him._

" _Sorry." Jesse murmured._

 _Jess stopped and frowned when she heard the somberness in her brother's voice. "I've been meaning to ask you what's wrong."_

" _It's nothing, just…" Jesse sighed. "I… guess I just haven't been feeling too good lately."_

" _You could've, you know, talked to us about it." Jess said._

" _I-I know." Jesse stuttered. "I-it's just… I don't know, I-I guess everything's been getting to me lately. With being forced to help run a town while constantly going on these adventures that're commissioned, and with that rumor people started about Lukas and I, a-and…"_

 _Jesse's voice trailed off mid-sentence. He blinked back tears threatening to escape his eyes. Why was he crying now? He shouldn't be crying, he's the leader of the New Order of the Stone, for Notch's sake! He let out a shaky sigh, turning away from Jess._

" _I-I'm sorry."_

" _...Listen."_

 _Jess forcefully turned Jesse back her way, their matching eyes meeting._

" _There's nothing wrong with venting, letting out your emotions, anything." She said gently but sternly. "The Order, the town, everyone, especially me, we_ care about you _._ You're human too. _Just because you're the leader doesn't mean you're not allowed to get stressed or sad, or hurt, or anything. I'm here if you ever wanna talk. So is Petra, Lukas, Olivia and Axel, heck, even Ivor. All of us. Remember that."_

 _Jess smiled at her brother, before giving him a light punch on the shoulder. "We're twins, right? We're supposed to look after each other."_

 _Jesse sniffed, giving her a weak smile. "Yeah. ...Th-thank you."_

" _No problem," she cracked a smile back at him._

 _The two sat there for a few minutes, Jesse starting to get lost in thought again. He stared up at the sky, eyes now adjusted to the brightness of the day. Jesse wasn't an outside person, but today felt nice. That's when he heard Jess yelp._

" _Shoot!"_

" _What?" He turned to her._

" _I realized I didn't tell anyone where we went!"_

" _What!?"_

" _Ah crap, we gotta get back to town."_

 _Jess stood up quickly, followed by Jesse. She looked frantically around, forgetting where they came from, before relaxing. She turned to Jesse with a smirk on her face._

" _Race you."_

 _He smirked back. "You're on."_

 _The two broke into a sprint into the trees._

…

 _The world darkened._

 _And everything fell down around him._

Jesse woke up with a sharp gasp, his heart racing. He felt numb all over, and he could feel frozen tears stick to his face, He could hear the grunts and gasps of Radar, and quickly, Jesse opened up his eyes.

He was still partially on the ground, and he could feel the ground move below him. He realized that Radar was dragging him. And, judging by the trail behind him, it looked like a long distance. Jesse let out a small gasp at himself. He tried to give up. He was going to leave Radar out here in the cold. With that thought, Jesse tried to jerk up, but to no avail. He couldn't feel his legs, and his cloth felt so frigid that it burned. He felt himself being dropped with a yelp, Radar jumping from his sudden movement.

"J-Jesse!" Radar gasped. "O-oh my Notch, I was so worried!"

He felt himself get pulled into a tight hug, Radar letting out something similar to a sob into his frozen scarf. Jesse wished that he could hug him a few moment, Radar pulled away. Taking a frozen finger, he pointed to something in the distance. Through the blowing wind and falling snow, Jesse could make out the silhouette of a building.

"W-we're going over there," Radar said. "Can you stand?"

Jesse pulled himself into a sitting position, which was hard enough with the contrast of the frozen air and the wounds that still felt like they were burning. He tried to stand. He was only able to get into something like a kneeling position before he collapsed with a silent yelp. Radar let out a soft sigh.

"I-I've got you."

Radar put his arms around Jesse's upper torso again, starting to drag him.

It felt like an eternity to Jesse. He had to fight the urge to not fall asleep again, as well as not break into tears simply from the pain of the wounds, somehow worsened by the snow. Radar, despite seemingly being strong for a kid his age, was still, well, a kid. He fastest he could do was a little over a few inches a tug with his and Jesse's height and weight difference. But, little by little, they made it there.

The building turned out to be a small cottage. It was old and weathered, wood darkened from relentless rain and snow. Despite how rickety it appeared, it didn't seem to have any holes in it. And they _knew_ nobody was in it. Nobody would be crazy enough to stay out in this cold, except for them. As soon as Radar got Jesse inside, he set to work. Using an old fireplace in the house, he lit a fire using the small dry twigs and flint and steel from his bag, placing wooden logs that were in there near it to that they could try for later use. He dragged Jesse over near it, setting their old comforter over him, and finally flopping down against him, panting heavily.

"I'm glad you're okay," Radar breathed. "When you fell down I thought you died, I-I…"

He wrapped his arms around him, as if to warm him further.

"I'm just happy you're alive."

Jesse was taken aback at how familiar the sentence sounded. But with his exhaustion, he could only give the child a weak nod.

Soon enough, sleep started to pull at him. Jesse, like before, didn't fight it. But, this time, he knew he was going to be okay. Radar was with him. Everything was fine. His friends were fine, he was fine. He _was_ going to find them. The faint memories of Jess' words lingered in his mind.

" _You're human too."_

But Jesse didn't have the energy to dwell on it. Slowly, he sank into the comfort of sleep.


End file.
